Method for feeding articles in predetermined quanitties



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AORNYS United States Patent METHOD FOR FEEDING ARTICLES IN PREDETERMINEDQUANTITIES Application February 16, 1950, Serial No. 144,563

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-1) This invention relates to a method for separating avariably predetermined quantity of fragile articles such as wafers,crackers or the like from a stack of such articles for delivering theseparated articles to a wrapping station for wrapping as a unit.

Distributors have found it commercially desirable to display anddistribute wafers, for example saltine crackers, in separately wrappedpackages each comprising a stack of, say, ten wafers. The methoddisclosed in this application provides a means for separating out, froma larger mass of waters, stacks of wafers of a size desired to bepackaged as a unit.

A principal object of the invention is to provide such a method whichoperates without fracturing any of the wafers.

The objects and advantages of the new method and the manner in whichthey are attained will be more apparent from the following descriptionand accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1-10 show, diagrammatically, successive stages in the operation ofparts of a simple device cooperating to process a stack of superimposedwafers according to the new method; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the principal operative parts of such adevice taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 9.

The wafers to be processed according to the invention are designated inthe drawings by the numeral 1. They are thin and fiat and are indentedalong a center line as at 2. It will be readily understood that extremecare is required in handling the wafers to prevent wastage from breakingor crumbling. In packaging the wafers, however, speed in handling isdesirable, for economy of operation. The method here disclosed embodiesa practical combination of speed and care for commercial utility.According to the example of the method described in this application, astack of ten wafers is separated from a larger stack and presented forwrapping as a unit;

In Fig. l a stack of wafers 1 is shown held in the walls 3 of a verticalcasing which serves as a wafer magazine. The waters are supported in themagazine as by two spaced plungers 4 (see Fig. 11) which form in thepres ent example a vertically reciprocable elevator or carrier. Theplungers provide careful support for the wafers, being spaced to bear onthe two side halves of the wafers outside the central indentation line2.

As the first step in separating a ten-wafer stack for wrapping, theelevator plungers 4 are lowered in the magazine from the position ofFig. 1 to the position of Fig. 2. It will be understood that theelevator plungers move continuously through the downward and upwardstrokes, being preferably at rest only at the lowest point of elevatortravel. For purposes of clear exposition, however, the movement of theparts will be considered as stopped from time to time, specifically atthe stages of operation represented by the several drawings.

Two complementary oppositely disposed lugs or clamps 5 are provided atthe sides of the magazine walls 3.

Each clamp is faced adjacent the magazine with a pad 6 of soft resilientmaterial such as sponge rubber, and the magazine walls 3 haveopenings 7therein to receive the clamp pads. When the descending elevator plungersreach the position illustrated by Fig. 2, the clamps are moved inwardlythrough the openings 7 to grasp between them a number of wafers 1. Theedges of the wafers are pressed into the soft pads 6 and are heldagainst further downward movement in the magazine. Obviously, all thewafers above those immediately between the pads 6 are also supportedagainst downward movement. The padded clamps 5 provide a strong andeffective support for the wafers and at the same time provide a supportwhich does not tend to fracture or crumble the wafers. The force of theclamps is exerted laterally against the wafers greatest compressivestrength. Further, inclusion of a plurality of wafers between the clampsprevents the wafers buckling. t

Fig. 3 shows the relation of the parts after the elevator has fallenaway from the position of Fig. 2. The padded clamps 5 retain the mainbody of stacked wafers upwardly in the magazine. It will be noted that astack of wafers larger than the stack desired to be ultimately separatedfor wrapping is carried downwardly in the magazine by the descendingelevator. A wafer separator, such as one or more horizontally disposedpins, indicated in Fig. 3 by the pin 8, is inserted through an opening 9in the wall of the magazine, between the edges of two adjacent wafers 1in the stack which is carried on the elevator. The separator pin or pinsare inserted at a point to leave, between. the elevator plungers and thepins, the general number of wafers to be separated for wrapping as aunit.

The separator pins are yieldingly mounted in any suitable manner, orotherwise so arranged, that in the event that, as the separatoradvances, the pins engage the edge of a wafer the pins yield to let theso-engaged wafer move downwardly with the elevator, after which the pinadvances beneath the following wafer.

The wafers so separated by the pins 8 and retained against furtherdownward movement with the elevator plungers 4 will be referred to assurplus wafers and are designated in the drawings by the numeral 11].

As the elevator shifts downwardly to the position of Fig. 4, the rearedge of the surplus wafers 10 remote from and not supported by the pins8 follows the underlying wafer stack and causes the surplus stack to betipped to an inclined position as is shown by Fig. 4.

When the parts are in the relation shown by Fig. 4, a secondarysupporting member such as a plurality of horizontally aligned arms 11 isshifted into and across the magazine through the wall opening 9. Thefunction of the supporting arms 11 is best illustrated by Fig. 5, whereit is seen that the support engages the stack of surplus wafers 10rearwardly of the center of the bottom wafer of the surplus stack, or,as seen in Fig. 5, to the left of the center of the bottom water, andpushes that wafer upwardly to restore the surplus stack 1% to ahorizontal position. As the support arms in this condition (Fig. 5) arein a position to support the surplus wafers, the pins 8 are no longerneeded and may be withdrawn from the magazine.

The elevator in the position of Fig. 5 is at its lowest point, and willremain at rest for the remainder of the operation dealing with the stackof ten wafers now shown to be separated from the upper supply stack andresting at the lower portion of the magazine.

It will be understood that the separator and support may be adjustedupwardly or downwardly relative to the magazine to provide a greater orlesser number of wafers in the package stack. The pins and elevator armsare not, however, necessarily adjustable relative to each other.

Fig. 6 shows the separator pins completely withdrawn from the magazinewith the surplus wafer stack 10 resting on the arms 11 of the support. Apusher such as three parallel legs 12 (see Fig. 11) is shown enteringthe magazine wall 3 through a side opening 13. The legs 52 of the pusherand the wall opening 13, together with the lower portion of the opening9 in the opposite wall, are in alignment with the stack of waterssupported on the lowered elevator. Thus, as shown by Fig. 7, theadvancing pusher legs move the stack of wafers on the elevator out ofthe magazine. Here the wafers may be disposed of for wrapping by anydesired or suitable means. i v

When the wafers are completely removed from the elevator (Fig. 8), theelevator leaves its lowest position of rest and begins to rise. Fig. 9shows the relative position of the parts when the elevator has reachedits highest point, carrying the surplus wafers upwardly off thesupporting arms 11. In Fig. 9, the-pusher legs have been retractedsubstantially half way across the.magazine,.the supporting arms havestarted to withdraw from the magazine in an opposite direction, and thepadded wafer clamps are beginning to release the Wafers from their hold.

It will be clearly understood from a consideration of the sectional viewof the parts shown by Fig. ll that the support arms 11 and the pusherlegs 12 on the one hand, and the two elevator plungers 4 on the otherhand,

are so spaced relative to one another that their being in horizontalalignment (see Fig. 9) does not interfere with their continuedoperation.

In the condition shown by Fig. 10, the padded clamps 5 have beencompletely released, permitting the wafers at the top of the magazine tofall onto the short stack of surplus wafers held by the elevator. Thesupport arms 11 are being retracted from the magazine, the elevator isat its highest point for support of the wafers 1, and the pusher legs 12are nearly withdrawn to their position of Fig. 1.,

Beginning again with the parts in the position shown by Fig. l, thecycle is repeated. It will be understood that the timing of the variouselements by which the method is carried out may be varied to meet theneeds of the wrapping instrumentalities to which the successivelyseparated stacks are presented.

What is claimed is:

A method of feeding a predetermined quantity of relatively thin, fragilearticles from a stack which comprises, supporting the stack on avertically reciprocable support, lowering the support and the stack ofarticles thereon a predetermined distance, clamping the stack ofarticles above the support at a point sufficiently above the topmostarticle of the quantity to be fed to leave a surplus of articles on thesupport, lowering the support a further distance, inserting a separatorbetween the edge of the topmost article of said quantity and the edge ofthe article immediately above said topmost article, lowering the supporta further distance while holding the separator stationary to lower therear edges of the surplus articles above the separator and position saidsurplus articles in an inclined position, advancing a secondary supportbe neath the surplus articles at an elevation to engage the articlesrearwardly of their center to thereby raise the surplus articles tosubstantially the level of the separator, withdrawing the separator topermit the surplus articles to rest on the secondary support, moving thegroup of articles transversely from the first support, raising thelatter into engagement with the surplus supported on the secondarysupport, raising the first support a further distance to raise thesurplus from the secondary support and into proximity with the bottom ofthe clamped stack and unclamping the stack to permit the latter todescend onto the surplus to be again supported by the first support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS972,649 Rose Oct. 11, 1910 1,855,441 Crouse Apr. 26, 1932 2,138,662Neumair Nov. 29, 1938 2,159,132 Chalmers May 23, 1939 2,198,949 RedmanApr. 30, 1940 2,264,468 Alexander et al Dec. 2, 1941 2,553,683 Smith May22,

